History of theatre

Theatre has existed in many forms since Ancient Greek times. This article attempts to outline the main stages.

Ancient civilisations

Ancient Greece is generally regarded as the founding civilisation of theatre. It began at the festival of Dionysus, the god of wine, when the first actor, a man by the name of Thespis (from whose name we take the word 'thespian' from) left the chorus and assumed a character. The first theatres, two-story buildings with movable sets were soon created, and the first major playwrights followed.

Aeschylus, a man from a noble family, wrote many plays, his magnum opus being Oresteia, and introduced the second actor. Sophocles, another prolific playwright, wrote Oedipus Rex. Euripides wrote Alcestis while Aristophanes wrote The Frogs. The architecture of the theatre was soon improved to a semicircular theatre, made of stone, and it is these that are the earliest to survive.

The Roman civilisation also worked on some plays. For example, Lucius Livius Andronicus, a freed slave, wrote some of the first Roman plays, though these are generally regarded as near translations of Greek works. Before the birth of Christ most Roman theatres were temporary but this changed as many were built in the Hellenic style.

Middle Ages

In the middle ages most plays were Christian in theme, such as The Passion of Christ and various British mystery plays, based on the Bible. Also, many theatres were made to be based on the back of vehicles. Other important kinds of plays from this time are 'miracle plays' and 'morality dramas'. Some representative works from the Middle Ages are The Castle of Perseverance, John Heywood's The Four P's.

The 15-1600s

The first British comedy, the peculiarly named Ralph Roister Doister, was authored by Nicholas Udall in the 1540s. The first British tragedy, Gorboduc, also dates from the mid-1500s, and was written by Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville. Plays were performed not just in theatres but also in pubs, which helped to bring plays to the masses. Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Kyd and the famous William Shakespeare were the key playwrights up to the early 1600s. Ben Jonson then took over. The improvised commedia dell'arte became popular in the 17th century, and theatres became built indoors. The masque was also popular. The Frenchman Molière was also instrumental to this period.